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Seriake Dickson, national leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), says the party has filed an appeal against the recent ruling of the federal high court in Lokoja, Kogi state, which voided its registration.
In a post on his X page on Monday, Dickson said his name and that of Peter Obi, the NDC presidential candidate, have been uploaded to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) portal following the legal move.
The Lokoja court had vacated its December 10, 2025 judgment compelling INEC to register the NDC as a political party.
Delivering the ruling in the suit marked FHC/LKJ/CS/49/2025, Isah Dashen, the presiding judge, held that the earlier judgment was delivered without hearing all necessary parties, rendering the proceedings constitutionally defective.
The ruling followed an application by Peace Movement Party (PMP), which argued that it had a legal interest in the matter and ought to have been joined in the suit before the judgment was delivered.
The judge also held that material facts were not disclosed during the earlier proceedings and ordered that the substantive suit begin afresh with INEC, the PMP and the NDC joined as parties.
‘WE HAVE FILED AN APPEAL’
Dickson said NDC has appealed the ruling and INEC has granted the party access to upload the names of its candidates.
“Today, the NDC has filed an appeal against the ruling as well as a stay of execution/injunction, which has been served with a covering letter to the INEC chairman and his team to do what is right according to law and what is legally sensible,” he said.
“What is left is the administrative process of submitting the names to INEC, and we have been granted access to the portal to upload our qualified candidates.
“My name and that of the Presidential Candidate have been uploaded to the INEC portal, while that of the Vice Presidential Candidate will be done tomorrow upon completion of the deposition. The process is also ongoing for other candidates.”
Dickson said the party is acting in tandem with the timelines provided by INEC for the submission of candidates for various elective positions.
“In accordance with the INEC timetable, which we have religiously abided by, we have between now and the 11th of next month to upload all National Assembly candidates, while those of governors and State Houses of Assembly will end on the 17th of July. So there is enough time for all candidates’ names to be submitted to INEC and there is no reason for anyone to panic,” he said.
The NDC leader also acknowledged concerns arising from the party’s primaries, describing the processes as imperfect but saying efforts were underway to reconcile aggrieved members and aspirants.
“The reconciliation processes have started and we expect them to reach everyone, to complement what I and the leadership have continued to do,” he said.
“And we assure them that all those who expressed interest will be carried along in the party’s campaigns, committees and structures, because they constitute the grassroots strength and the backbone of our party.”
Dickson thanked Nigerians for their support and urged democratic institutions to remain neutral in safeguarding the country’s democracy.
“Despite the imperfections of our institutions, INEC, the judiciary and security agencies, all leaders must be united to preserve the neutrality of the institutions that protect our democracy and our nation’s integrity,” he said.
He added that having filed and served the appeal and accompanying applications, “the ball is now in the court of the judiciary”, expressing confidence that the courts would “do what is right under the law”.
